Historically, finding and testing electrical circuit breakers installed in a home or commercial buildings has been a laborious task. The central difficulty in finding and testing electrical circuit breakers is the electrical outlet is generally remotely positioned or spaced to its associated electrical circuit breaker. Finding and testing electrical circuit breakers that are greatly spaced apart and at times on separate elevations is typically a multi-person task or a one person task requiring extensive time to execute finding and testing the electrical circuit breakers. Typically, one person would be located at the electrical outlet with some type of test indicator inserted into the outlet. A second person would be stationed at the service panel containing all of the electrical circuit breakers. The second person would disengage one electrical circuit breaker at a time and then ask the first person via any convenient communications means if the test indicator became active. For example, if the test indicator was on it would turn off. If the test indicator was off it would turn on. This process would continue until disengaging a selected electrical circuit breaker would produce the expected results.
Attempts in the past to circumvent the laborious task of finding and testing electrical circuit breakers, as discussed above, involved electrically short-circuiting the electrical outlet. This type of test can be destructive if the electrical breaker is of a sufficient amperage rating to heat and melt the electrical short-circuit as well as the electrical outlet. Further, if an electrical ground fault/arcfault is to be tested the test method discussed above is insufficient.
It would be desirable to have a non-destructive test to find and test electrical circuit breakers. The finding and testing electrical circuit breakers should only require one person to implement. The test apparatus and method would allow indication of the electrical outlet activity i.e., whether or not the outlet was active or energized. The test apparatus would be able to remotely test and disengage an electrical circuit breaker from its electrical circuit outlet.